The Óbidos International Chocolate Festival opens its doors in the village on the 10th, in an edition that has the theme of Comics and that will move 25 tons of chocolate.
The festival, which in the last two decades has established itself in the medieval village of the district of Leiria, promises “an authentic experience of the senses” to the approximately 150 thousand visitors expected between the 10th and 26th of March in the event presented this evening to the media.
This year organized around the theme Comics, the main attraction of the event is the sculptures “100% in chocolate and sculpted manually over more than 200 hours of work”, said chef Abner Ivan, responsible for the team that shapes the iconic figures that will be on display at Óbidos Chocolate House.
“Directly from the tallest buildings in New York [in the United States] to Óbidos Castle” the arrival of the Spider Man is confirmed, a chocolate sculpture that will be joined by “a sweet version of the Brazilian Mónica”, the Gauls Astérix and Obélix, Tom and & Jerry, the cowboy Lucky Luque or the fun Goofy. The Belgian Tintin, on the other hand, will be sculpted live, throughout the days of the festival.
According to Ricardo Duque, administrator of Óbidos Criativa, “25 tons of chocolate will be used in the event”, most of which will be destined for the eight large sculptures that each involve around 270 hours of work, totaling 2,160 hours to carve the cartoon figures.
Fifty-seven national and international chefs will participate in this edition, which for the first time has the presence of École Ducasse, a French school of international reference in the art of pastry and confectionery.
Spaces to decorate 'donuts', taste hot chocolate, combine wines and bonbons or participate in activities for children spread across various locations in the town are some of the organization's proposals, which this year also intensifies the training aspect with the holding of 70 hours of showcooking around alive.
In the Chocolate Salon, installed in the Castelo enclosure, competitions will also take place that will distinguish the best homemade chocolate cake, the 'rising star' chocolate and the best chocolate product, menu and cocktail.
Praça de Santa Maria will be transformed, during the days of the festival, into the 'Grand Place do Chocolat', a French-inspired esplanade where visitors will be able to taste food and drinks "always with chocolate as the main ingredient" and receive a visit of “glamorous characters”, announced the organization.
As far as exhibitions are concerned, the proposal goes through the Melgão Station, a space on the Castle fence where the visitor “is invited to embark on a journey that takes him from the cocoa bean to the chocolate” and learn about the sustainable practices of the Portuguese brand that transforms cocoa produced by small farmers.
Comic book exhibitions and illustrators working live are other attractions of the event, which will feature entertainment on the streets, workshops and ateliers for families and, as usual, the chocolate race, which this year will take place on March 25th.
In its fourth edition, the race "sold out", Margarida Reis told sports councilors in the Óbidos council, specifying that 850 athletes will participate in the race.
This year the festival has a budget of 250,000 euros and the municipality estimates that it will receive 150,000 visitors.
